The Mandalorian (SPOILERS possible)

[Matt_Fury]

It would be cool if some of them got away by slipping off their armor and blending in with the townspeople.  No one knows what they look like, and that might mean more of them were left alive.  Probably not the Mando code to run away or show your face, but I don't want them all to be gone, especially Heavy.

That is not the way!

I don't think all of them were killed, I bet some made a strategic retreat and we will see them again.

[JediJman]

I figured Gideon has many many more stormtroopers than were there.  Just my guess anyway.

So, after watching this again the stormtrooper counts are really bugging me.  There's a slew of them in town with a vast amount of reinforcements when Gideon shows up.  Let's assume he had even more and lost some soldiers taking out the Mandos.  Then they set up the E-Web and there are dozens of troops ready to fire it, but they just abandon it during the fighting?  I would place myself behind the biggest weapon available.  Our heroes take out a big chunk of the reinforcements and IG-11 does some damage, but there still seems to be quite a few left.  Then they have s single flame trooper with no back-up go in?  Not even a couple guys to protect his flank?  The heroes make it very clear they need to get back to the ship and get off planet, but then decide to make it their home after wiping out the 10ish stormtroopers at the mouth of the lava cave?  Or are the more confident thinking Gideon is gone after the crash and figure they can mop up the rest of the Imps?  I really loved this series, but certain sections of the plot seem to wander aimlessly. 

[GrandMoffNick]

A part of my thinking is that once they see the TIE go down they aren't worried about basic Imperial troops.

I was more concerned the Mando didn't fly the Razorcrest over and blow the TIE up on the ground. Never assume!

[Jesse James]

I’m of the opinion he’s got a little Fleet, some territory...  just my feeling.  It seemed things went haywire when 11 showed up but yeah why bail on the eweb then? 

I’ll give a pass on the flame trooper though...  last dude I’d wanna be around is the guy with the explosive of flammable gel on his back.  I’d be at the other end of wherever he is haha.

[Nicklab]

The Incinerator Trooper was a great nod to The Force Unleashed.  And the fact that Gideon had his own squad of Death Troopers?  He's clearly got some status to merit an elite unit like that.

I agree that he probably has a Star Destroyer or some other capital ship(s) at his disposal.  Those troops probably weren't just hanging around on another part of Nevarro, because the bounty hunters guild would certainly have known about a garrison that size.

Based on what we saw in TROS?  Gideon might be in a league of officers much like General Pryde - officers who were closely allied with the Emporer, and seeking out Force sensitives at the direction of the Emporer himself.... even in the post ROTJ era.

[StBrianOfMinneapolis]

I figured Gideon has many many more stormtroopers than were there.  Just my guess anyway.

So, after watching this again the stormtrooper counts are really bugging me.  There's a slew of them in town with a vast amount of reinforcements when Gideon shows up.
[/q]
Yeah the amount of troopers that were finally revealed on the outside of the lava cave was bizarrely low.  IG could have dispatched all those without detonating himself so the story would have made a lot more sense if there were at least 50 stormtroopers standing there

[GrandMoffNick]

I think I'm done with Disney Star Wars over this. Kathleen Kennedy does it again. I assume Rian Johnson okayed it too...... 

[StBrianOfMinneapolis]

The Incinerator Trooper was a great nod to The Force Unleashed.  And the fact that Gideon had his own squad of Death Troopers?  He's clearly got some status to merit an elite unit like that.

I agree that he probably has a Star Destroyer or some other capital ship(s) at his disposal.  Those troops probably weren't just hanging around on another part of Nevarro, because the bounty hunters guild would certainly have known about a garrison that size.

Based on what we saw in TROS?  Gideon might be in a league of officers much like General Pryde - officers who were closely allied with the Emporer, and seeking out Force sensitives at the direction of the Emporer himself.... even in the post ROTJ era.

I'll be intrigued to see how vast Gideon's resources are. Arriving in one single TIE makes him either a badass or a one-time Moff who is now scraping by.

[JediJman]

I watched the first episode again the other night and was reminded at how comically suicidal IG-11 is.  His go to option throughout the whole fight is "We're pinned down. I can't be allowed to be captured. Initiating Self Destruct."  I had forgotten about that in watching the finale, so his fate makes a bit more sense to me now...

[StBrianOfMinneapolis]

New thought...

Can Beskar steel repel the Darksaber? I'm not clear if the Darksaber had the same ability to cut throw almost everything.

[Nicklab]

That's an interesting thought.  Although in a couple of lightsaber duels involving Mandalorians in AOTC and the Clone Wars animated series, the Beskar didn't prevent Mandalorians from being beheaded - one of them being dispatched with the Dark saber!  That armor only covers so much. 

There was an EU story point about a metal that could disrupt lightsabers called Cortosis.  It turned up in recurring stories during Dark Horse's run of Republic comics that covered the Clone Wars.  And IIRC there was a Battle Droid or Super Battle Droid that was built using that alloy in an effort to kill the Jedi.  Whether or not Beskar becomes the new Cortosis?  It could be interesting.

[Jeff]

There was an EU story point about a metal that could disrupt lightsabers called Cortosis.  It turned up in recurring stories during Dark Horse's run of Republic comics that covered the Clone Wars.  And IIRC there was a Battle Droid or Super Battle Droid that was built using that alloy in an effort to kill the Jedi.  Whether or not Beskar becomes the new Cortosis?  It could be interesting.

There was also 'phrik', which was a popular EU lightsaber resistant metal - Magnaguards staffs, Palpatines lightsaber hilt, and I think Darktrooper armor were made using that metal alloy.

[Jesse James]

Yup Darktroopers were where Phrik came from, on a mining world.  It’s rare.  Kinda Beskar before Beskar was Beskar was I guess haha.  It has that gunmetally color that the dark troopers are known for.  I’d forgotten it was part of magnaguard staffs and stuff. 

[Nicklab]

The durability of Beskar seems like it's going to be an ongoing plot point.  What's going to happen with all of that armor that was left behind on Nevarro?  The Armorer no doubt will have some plans for that.  And having seen how much punishment Beskar can take in this first season, it makes one particular character's survival seem far more plausible.

BUT....

There's a character in the Aftermath series of canon novels who lives on Tatooine and has acquired a suit of Mandalorian armor.  That character's name is Cobb Vanth, and his story (if the timeline is accurate) takes place around 4 years after the Battle of Endor.  The novels didn't indicate with any certainty if Vanth's armor was the salvaged armor of Boba Fett.  This was one of a number of subplots in the Aftermath novels.  Whether or not it leads to anything linked to this series remains to be seen.  Given Dave Filoni's role in the show I can see the potential for him to explore some linkage between print media and the series.  From what I've read George Lucas stated that Boba Fett escaped from the Sarlacc, but declined to show that in the special edition.  So this might be an instance of Favreau and Filoni carrying the torch forward and exploring that angle.

[Matt_Fury]

I know a lot of people believe that the person who walked up to Ming Na Wen's character at the end of The Gunslinger was Boba Fett.  I'm not convinced it was and I'm now kind of shaky on whether or not it was Moff Gideon.  I guess we'll find out more in season two.